Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball head coach Scott Burrell was highlighted in an article that appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Friday, Dec. 31, 2021. The article, titled "The 21 Greatest Two-Sport Stars Ever" placed the Owls' head coach 20th, just ahead of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. 

Burrell holds the distinction of being the first athlete to be drafted in the first round of the professional draft in two sports, first selected by the Seattle Mariners with the 26th overall pick out of Hamden (Conn.) High School and again as the 20th overall pick of the Charlotte Hornets in 1993. He went on to a nine-year NBA career with the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls, winning a NBA Championship in 1998. Prior to the NBA, he was a stand-out on the UConn men's basketball team. For his career with the Huskies, Burrell became the first player in NCAA basketball history to compile over 1,500 points, 750 rebounds, 275 assists and 300 steals.

Burrell is currently in his seventh season as the Owls' head coach and has compiled a 94-62 (.603) all-time record that included trips to the NCAA Division II tournament in his first two seasons as the Owls' coach. Burrell is also the first African-American head coach in Northeast 10 Conference history. Prior to Southern Connecticut, Burrell was an assistant coach at NCAA Division I Quinnipiac University.